You may have heard of the business practice where a company sells products under its brand, but another company manufactures them. This is called white-labeling and is used in various industries.
What is white-label business model?
The white-label business model is a process in which one company produces a product or service, which other companies then rebrand to make it appear like they had created it. The term “white-label” comes from the white-label placed on the product packaging, which can be filled in with the rebranding company’s trade dress.
This business model is often used for mass-produced generic products, including electronics, consumer products, and software packages such as DVD players, televisions, and web applications.
What is a white-label SEO agency?
A white-label SEO agency is a type of company that provides search engine optimization (SEO) services that another company can sell under its brand name.
These agencies perform the SEO work, but all the reports, results, and communications are branded under the hiring company’s name. This makes it appear that the hiring company is doing the work themselves while the white-label SEO agency is working behind the scenes.
Advantages of hiring a white-label SEO agency
- Confidentiality: The white-label SEO agency acts as your team without revealing their identity, maintaining your brand’s reputation.
- Cost-Effective: Hiring a white-label SEO agency can be more cost-effective than building an in-house team. It saves costs on recruitment, training, and infrastructure.
- Time-saving: The agency can handle all the SEO tasks, allowing you to focus more on your core business operations.
- Scalability: As your business grows, a white-label SEO agency can quickly scale its SEO services to match your growing needs.
- Access to Advanced Tools: These agencies have access to premium SEO tools and software, which can be expensive for a company to purchase on its own.
- Meeting Deadlines: White-label agencies are professional entities that respect deadlines and ensure that projects are completed on time.
Disadvantages of hiring a white-label SEO agency
- Lack of Control: With white-label SEO, you give the agency control of the SEO process. This might not sit well with some businesses as they may feel disconnected from the process.
- Quality Concerns: Since you’re not directly involved in the process, you may have concerns about the work quality. You rely on the agency to uphold high standards, but this might only sometimes be true.
- Limited Customization: White-label SEO packages may lack the flexibility to adapt to your business’s specific needs and demands, limiting the effectiveness of the SEO strategies being implemented.
- Hidden Costs: Some white-label SEO agencies might not be upfront about all the costs. There could be hidden fees that you will only discover after you have entered into a contract with them.
White-label vs. private label
White-Label and Private Label are two business models that companies use to create and market their products. However, there are some key differences between them.
White-label products are created by one company and then sold and rebranded by another.
Private label products are also produced by one company for sale under another company’s brand. However, in this case, the reseller company has more control over the product. They can dictate the product’s production, design, and packaging to align it with their brand.
Two examples of white-label SEO
As someone who owns an SEO agency, you may find that building backlinks is the most challenging task you face. It’s a time-consuming process that requires significant effort, and success is not guaranteed even after all that.
Hiring an employee to focus solely on building backlinks can be both costly and inefficient. Instead, partnering with an agency that has the necessary expertise, knowledge, and resources to handle this task makes more sense. This approach will save you time and money in the long run.
Another example. If you run a digital marketing or web development agency and a client requests SEO services, hiring and training an SEO specialist for just one project might not be practical. It’s more efficient to outsource the work to an SEO agency that specializes in this area and can deliver quality results quickly.
Isn’t white-labeling just another name for outsourcing?
White-labeling is a distinct form of outsourcing that involves a deeper partnership than traditional outsourcing. While standard outsourcing firms try to meet the needs of various clients, a white-label reseller is responsible for fulfilling specific brand requirements such as quality or design.
